Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#466

A heavily cropped capture of this beautiful Snowy Owl, one of three sightings by eight of us on the annual High River Christmas Bird Count, on 18 December 2012. It was reported as being three sightings of the same owl, but I think a photo of one of the sightings shows a much lighter bird. The second photo, which I will post maybe tomorrow, was of an owl that was perched not on top of a power pole, but at the very top of one of the giant electricity pylons - so was barely little more than a white speck : ) Old Man WInter has returned. It's -18C this evening and forecast is for snow tonight and tomorrow. A windchilll of -33C (temperature -23C) tomorrow kind of makes me almost wish that the Drumheller and area (i.e. the Badlands, where the dinosaurs used to roam) Christmas Bird Count will be cancelled - doubt it, though. Just hope my car starts. I know for sure I won't be feeling like having to clear snow off my car and scrape ice off the car windows - especially around 5:15 in the morning!!! I like to think this is dedication - but really, it's madness, lol! 5-10 cm of snow from Friday overnight to Saturday overnight. A short while later, just got a phone call, saying that the trip has been cancelled due to concern about drifting snow and the possibility of one of the cars getting stuck (it has happened before several times and is not fun!). Now I don't have to sit here, wondering whether to go or not to go : ) An interesting webpage, with photos, about sexing and aging of Snowy Owls: www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/snowy.htm With the holiday season upon us, here is a reminder from YouTube, that I saw on Dan's Facebook page. Please Don't Drink and Drive! Warning - very graphic - but that is what is needed! And yet people continue to do so ... youtu.be/45oV6PssNu4

On two mornings, we were lucky enough to see several beautiful Elk on this narrow strip of land rising out of Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, US. This stag was the only male, along with his females. Taken on 13 September 2012, the third day of a week away in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. There was a lot of haze in the park from forest fires. "Elk (Cervus elaphus) are the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone; paleontological evidence confirms their continuous presence for at least 1,000 years. Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872, when market hunting of all large grazing animals was rampant. Not until after 1886, when the U.S. Army was called in to protect the park and wildlife slaughter was brought under control, did the large animals increase in number. More than 30,000 elk from 7-8 different herds summer in Yellowstone and approximately 15,000 to 22,000 winter in the park." www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/elk.htm

The Castor Bean plant is an amazing one. This was the first time I had seen the tiny flowers and beautifull buds. Will post a previously uploaded photo in the comments, showing what the spectacular seedpods look like. I am thrilled that these grow at the Calgary Zoo. Seen on 14th September last year. "The castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, is a "native of tropical Africa cultivated in several varieties for the oil found in its leaves and for its bold foliage."(Alber and Alber) The "stalked leaves consist of usually eight radiating, pointed leaflets with slightly serrated edges and prominent central veins. Many varieties are green, but some are reddish brown."(Cooper and Johnson) The flowers are green and inconspicuous, but pink or red in the pigmented varieties. Many stamens are near the base and branching pistils are near the top of the flower. The soft-spined fruits containing attractively mottled seeds are distinctive features of the plant. It is grown as an ornamental in gardens, sometimes as a houseplant, and also grows as a weed. It is an annual in the south and a perennial in the tropics, and it may reach "15 feet tall outdoors". It is a woody herb belonging to the family of Euphorbiacea (Spurge). The seeds from the castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, are poisonous to people, animals and insects. Castor beans are pressed to extract castor oil which is used for medicinal purposes." From www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/castorbean .

Took this photo of a Lily petal with my very first digital camera, an Olympus C750UZ point-and-shoot, way back on 3rd August 2007 and was never sure whether it was worth saving, let alone posting on Flickr. Came across it today and decided I'd include it after all.

The tropical plants growing in the Butterfly House at the Calgary Zoo provide a beautiful coloured background to show off this attractive butterfly.